146 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

xbanxia.com Transmigrated into a Wasteland Novel as the Unreliable Alpha - Chapter 146 - Banxia Novels ~4 Minutes Chen Wan directed her gaze towards Leopard, her eyes showing no hint of fear as she raised her bidding paddle once again: "20 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat." As soon as she said this, the room fell silent for a moment, only to be filled once more with the low murmurs of the people around her. "Is this woman crazy? The last team that angered Leopard was wiped out." "Yeah, plus the Omega and beta in her team are quite attractive. Leopard might already have his eyes on them." "In that case, they’re doomed. They should leave before the auction ends. If they wait any longer, they might not be able to escape." Chen Wan quietly listened to the surrounding discussions, her gaze fixed on Leopard, expression calm and unyielding, as if undisturbed by the storm around her. Leopard hadn't anticipated anyone daring to challenge him in the auction. Ordinarily, once someone from his side named a price, nobody else would dare continue bidding. Feeling provoked by Chen Wan, Leopard gritted his teeth and raised his paddle: "50 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat." Chen Wan chuckled softly, looking towards Leopard with a disdainful expression. She turned to Jiang Yanxin, her voice sugary and coquettish: "Honey, what if they bully me later?" "Don't worry, I'm here." Jiang Yanxin was tickled by her alpha's playful display, quickly comforting her. "I knew you were the best, honey." Chen Wan replied in her sweet and soft voice. Qin Ke, seated to Chen Wan's right, looked at her with a complex expression, wondering when Chen Wan had become so playful, even coquettish, and she seemed to be quite good at it. Those nearby were already captivated by Chen Wan, and those even closer eagerly strained to eavesdrop, catching Chen Wan's previous sweet talk. "I thought she was some kind of badass, turns out she's just living off her partner, after all." "Well, she is good-looking, and her wife is quite the beauty too." Chen Wan wasn't bothered by the comments about her living off someone. In the realm of psychic power, she couldn't match Jiang Yanxin; she was used to being bossed around by her wife. Buoyed by Jiang Yanxin's encouragement, Chen Wan raised her paddle again: "100 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat." Leopard, thoroughly incensed by Chen Wan, ignored the auction's rules, standing and turning to glare at her: "Are you out of your mind, not knowing who I am?" Chen Wan sneered, her eyes cold and menacing, a stark contrast to the sweetness she showed Jiang Yanxin earlier. "And who do you think you are? Do you deserve to be known by me? In an auction, the highest bidder wins. Poor losers should stop pretending they’re so important, you're nothing but a clown." "I'll kill you right here, right now," Leopard spat, preparing to get physical. At that moment, a person in military uniform from the front row spoke up: "Fighting is not allowed in the auction hall. Your 'Red Sun' team often collaborates with the military, you should know this. Settle your grievances outside." In other words, no killing in the auction hall, whatever happens outside is your business. Leopard frowned at this interruption, taking a moment before responding: "I’m only standing down out of respect for General Wang. Once we’re out of here, I'll shred you to pieces, and that Omega beside you will be mine." Chen Wan coldly replied, her voice clear enough for all to hear: "By you, a worthless wretch? I’m eager to see how you plan to tear me apart." Chen Wan stared him down without a trace of fear, infuriating Leopard further, his swollen face turning even redder, veins popping. "Just you wait," Leopard growled, his anger forcing him back into his seat. For the first time, he felt this humiliated, her calling him 'poor' struck a nerve, and he raised his paddle once again: "200 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat." Chen Wan pursed her lips, ready to call out another bid, when Jiang Yanxin softly reminded her, "That's far beyond the value of those rings." Chen Wan leaned close to Jiang Yanxin, speaking softly, "I know, but since I just insulted that Leopard by calling him poor, he won’t want to lose face. Let’s make him bleed a little more." Jiang Yanxin chuckled and nodded. So, Chen Wan raised her paddle again, "500 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat. Gosh, poor folks shouldn’t come to auctions, inching up their bids like that is just embarrassing." Chen Wan's voice wasn't loud, but in the auction hall, during bidding rounds, it could be heard by everyone. Her words were a clear dig at Leopard. The bystanders found themselves amused. Some of them had long harbored dissatisfaction with Leopard's "Red Sun" team. Why should others not be allowed to bid once they did? Although people knew Chen Wan was courting danger, it was satisfying to see someone stand up to them, prompting stifled laughter among the crowd. Leopard's temples throbbed, the man next to him, wearing glasses, cautioning him, "Boss, those rings aren't worth it. She's just toying with us." Grinding his teeth, Leopard replied, "Do you think I don’t know? But if I don’t bid, where’s 'Red Sun's' reputation? Will anyone take us seriously?" The man with glasses had no choice but to release Leopard’s hand. Leopard closed his eyes and gritted out: "1 ton of level 3 mutant animal meat." Chen Wan gasped softly, "Seems like this Leopard really loves those rings. I’ll let him have them." With her nonchalant words, Leopard was practically seething, teeth ready to shatter, having spent a ton of level 3 mutant beast meat on two measly rings. He was determined to tear that woman apart afterward. Spectators saw Leopard as a fool, many stifling laughs, some even growing a bit of admiration for Chen Wan. Putting Leopard's team in their place was undeniably satisfying. Chen Wan wasn't interested in the later items, opting not to bid. But when the sixth item was unveiled, she perked up slightly. This time, the auction offered a set of six rings, clearly of better quality than the previous two, and she had a plan. Starting with a bid of 10 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat, Leopard turned to look at Chen Wan, who teasingly smiled back. The man with glasses, apparent tactician of "Red Sun," quickly advised, "Boss, let's not get vexed. We have bigger goals than these trivial things. We’ll deal with that female alpha later." Glaring at Chen Wan, Leopard let out a huff. Though others placed bids, enthusiasm waned, allowing Chen Wan to win the set of three pairs of rings with 50 kilograms of level 3 mutant animal meat, highlighting the stark contrast with Leopard's 1-ton blunder. Chen Wan grinned, addressing everyone nearby, "Apologies, everyone, but I quite like these six rings. They’re a much better deal than the previous two." Leopard remained sour-faced up front, planning to strike once the auction ended. As soon as the exchange was complete, he intended to act. Others secretly marveled at Chen Wan's audacity, openly defying "Red Sun." Thereafter, Chen Wan lost interest, whispering to Qin Ke beside her, "When we get back, I’ll propose with the rings." Qin Ke blushed at Chen Wan’s words. She’d been with Shen Mingyan for a long time but hadn’t formally proposed yet. A surprise for Shen would be lovely. "Okay." Qin Ke replied, winking at Chen Wan. Though they spoke softly, Jiang Yanxin and Shen Mingyan, sitting nearby, weren’t deaf. They heard the two alpha conspirators clearly, exchanging smiles across them. Leopard, meanwhile, lost all interest in bidding, fearing more of Chen Wan's traps. Chen Wan had lifted prices to hundreds, if not thousands, of times their worth. Backing down would mean admitting they were 'poor,' sullying "Red Sun's" reputation in Qingji City. Hence, instead of bidding loudly to intimidate others, Leopard chose to sit silently, not falling into any more of Chen Wan's traps. Half an hour passed, and the auction gradually moved to the main items of the event—various types of crystal cores. The audience below began to stir with anticipation. Many knew the benefits of using crystal cores and were eager to exchange other resources for them, causing a noisy surge of bids. Chen Wan fell silent at this point. Their primary goal was to acquire high-level mutant animal crystal cores, with the rings being just a bonus. Leopard, frowning, noticed Chen Wan’s sudden cessation in bidding. Noticing his gaze, Chen Wan offered him a cryptic smile. Leopard itched to confront Chen Wan immediately, convinced that she was planning to stir up trouble again. Soon, the high-level mutant animal crystal cores were presented. Though rare, these cores held little practical value for ordinary people or typical ability users. People hadn’t seen any ability users successfully consume mutant animal crystal cores. Generally, it was accepted that consuming zombie crystal cores could enhance physical attributes and likely grant abilities. Consuming mutant animal cores was considered too risky. Thus, high-level mutant animal crystal cores were often reserved for research in base laboratories or exchanged by wealthier teams for future use.